There will be some interesting How-To workshops at the fair, including one at noon on Saturday from homebrew shop The Beverage People on the basics of making wine, beer, and cheese at home. On Sunday at noon, Petaluma Hills Brewing will give a talk on making the transition from homebrewer to pro (owner JJ Jay should know – he has been building his new microbrewery for the last few months and is just a short time away from opening his facility). At 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, the owners of Tilted Shed Cider Works in Forestville will lead a cidermaking workshop.

The Harvest Fair opens 4-9 p.m. on Friday at the County Fairgrounds and will run noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free, but if you want to get into the tasting pavilion, with wine and food in addition to the beer and cider, tickets will run you $50, or two for $90 if you order by Oct. 3. The tasting pavilion is open 5-8 p.m. on Friday and 1-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

You can order tickets online here. And the fair organizers tell me that readers of BeerCountry can get a $5 per ticket discount by entering the word “blogger” in the promo code section in the online ordering form.

About this blog

A resident of Santa Rosa for most of his life, Peter Lopez Jr., 34, has taken over the duties of beer blogger for the Press Democrat. He has been a part of the beer and wine industry for almost his entire adult life and brings a wealth of knowledge. Currently Peter is a partner at the Healdsburg Emporium where he does the beer and wine purchasing. He is also the wine buyer at Fircrest Market in Sebastopol and the administrator of the NorCal Beer Geeks group on Facebook.

Beer is a big business in this part of the world, with some of the best and most sought-after brews made right in our own back yard. But too often that beer culture is hidden behind the iconic wine industry that defines the region. The Beer Country blog will bring you news and notes about our local brew scene, and maybe a little about cider while we’re at it. Have news, ideas, or questions that need answering? Drop a line in the comments section of the blog or email us at info@pressdemocrat.com